Diving Into Blue

Friday, June 15, 2007

Cozumel, Mexico

Paso del Cedral

Off a boat named Triton, we completed a giant stride following our Divemaster, Raoul. At exactly 4:03 p.m., it was official--it was our first dive into blue for this trip.

With that first stride, you never know what to expect: what's the visibility going to be? Will we see anything good? Did I take enough Bonine to counteract the boat ride and the motion of the sea? But then, you relax, and follow the rhythm that your body seems to innately know. It's a comfortable feeling. All those worries and cares seem to vanish. There's nothing but you and the blue. And, of course, the reef and the fish. Can't forget about them.

We seem to be lucky this time. The others in our group aren't too bad. They're following Raoul--but not too close. And no one is kicking; we're all letting the gentle current take us for an easy ride. It's a shallow dive so we end up at 53 feet for our maximum depth.

Look! There's a turtle! How cool is that! And check out those fish: parrotfish, blue tang, foureye butterfly fish, gray angelfish, and some queen angel fish. It's like old home week. Do you think they missed us? I know I missed them. Did you see those arrow crabs? Wow! I can really spot them now.

And all you hear is a slight whoooosh, whooooosh, whoooooosh. (Greg and I tried to pinpoint what that sound was but never could.) Sometimes, you hear the whine of a boat motor. That's usually the crew on your boat following the bubbles--they're good like that!

As we glide along, not too fast and not too slow, just above the reef, you can see all the activity. Fish darting here and there. Schools of baby fish that look like small clouds of insects if you were topside. And these fish are soooo tiny, you can't make out what they'll be when they grow up.

There goes the school of juvenile parrotfish playing follow the leader. The small basslets and blue chromis going in and out of the caves inside a small head of coral. Another turtle! He's munching down on some coral as two gray angels follow him trying to clean him.

And then, before you know it, Raoul gives us the sign--three-minute safety stop. It's time to head back to the surface, back to the boat. We've spent 49 glorious minutes diving in the blue--I'm glad we have many more days ahead of us. This never gets old.